You’ve all heard astronomers tell us of rare, but highly significant alignments of heavenly bodies, stars included? Well, next month – in April – Delos will be able to claim just such an uncommon confluence of MUSICAL stars … we could also call them “heavenly voices!” That’s because, from mid-April through early May, just such a phenomenon will take place at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera. Appearing in three major Italian opera productions there will be FOUR Delos recording artists Marcelo Alvarez, Sondra Radvanovsky, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Barbara Frittoli!
Legendary tenor Marcelo Alvarez will kick things off on April 14 with his opening night performances of the male lead roles in opera’s most famous double bill: as Canio in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci, and as Turridu in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. While Alvarez made his early mark in mostly lighter roles, his voice has “ripened” over his twenty-plus year career, and he has gradually – and with conspicuous success – taken on ever-weightier roles in operas by Verdi, Puccini and various “Verismo” composers.
Rave reviews of Marcelo’s work are almost a matter of routine – and we fully expect that yet another triumph awaits him in his upcoming seven-performance run of “Cav-and-Pag” that finishes up on May 8. If you’d care to sample his artistry in both of these roles, simply get your own copy of Marcelo’s recent Delos album, Marcelo Alvarez: 20 Years on the Opera Stage (DE 3472). Fair warning: you’d better be sitting down when he hits his many ringing high notes, else risk going weak in the knees!
Then, beginning on April 23, opera fans have a double treat in store, as superstar Sondra Radvanovsky further reinforces her glowing reputation as the fastest-rising “true Verdi soprano” (Opera News) in international opera today. She’s headlining in a five-performance run as Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera: Verdi’s gripping operatic tale of mistaken infidelity and Regicide. Joining her – in the role of her jealous husband Renato – will be fellow superstar Dmitri Hvorostovsky: regarded by many to be “the Verdi baritone of our time” (Los Angeles Times).
Again, Delos just happens to have convincing recorded proof of the crackling, electric chemistry generated between this pair of living operatic legends in these very roles. Our Verdi Opera Scenes CD (DE 3403) features (among others) their climactic duet from Ballo – as does our DVD, Hvorostovsky in Moscow (DV 7006) – in which Sondra appears as guest artist. Again, fair warning: Delos takes no responsibility if either of these critically-acclaimed releases inspires in you an irrational urge to fly to New York and spring for your own Met tickets!
We should also mention that Dmitri and yet another Delos artist, vaunted soprano Barbara Frittoli, will be appearing from late March through April in Verdi’s Don Carlo. Dmitri will portray the very important part of Rodrigo, who delivers “O Carlo, ascolta” as he expires in Act IV: one of the most emotionally intense baritone arias in all of opera – and Dmitri sings it to heart-stopping effect in the above-referenced CD and DVD! Barbara will appear as Elizabeth, the leading lady.
Delos can yet again offer you a prime recording starring both of these artists: our upcoming April release of the complete Verdi opera, Simon Boccanegra (DE 3457) – Delos’ first-ever full-length opera recording – with Dmitri in the spectacular title role and Barbara portraying Amelia, the leading lady. It’s already available for pre-order on Amazon, and we have a sample track on SoundCloud that’s sure to whet your appetite for more!
Performance dates for all four artists are given below. And to boot, we’re going to celebrate this rare happening by offering three of the above releases (DE 3472, DE 3403 and DV 7006) at the special sale price of $11.98 (for the CDs), and $13.98 (for the DVDs); beginning today and running through the month of April. So place your order today – you’ll be glad you did!
Schedule:
- Marcelo Alvarez in Cav/Pag: April 14, 18, 21, 25 & 29; May 2, 5, & 8
- Sondra Radvanovsky and Dmitri Hvorostovsky in Ballo: April 23 & 28; May 2, 6 & 9
- Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Barbara Frittoli in Don Carlo: March 30, April 2, 6, 11, 15, 18, 22 & 25
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